Safety improvements for Inverloch-Venus Bay Road

Wire rope barriers will be put in place along Inverloch-Venus Bay Road.

A NUMBER of safety measures are currently being implemented on Inverloch-Venus Bay Road, with motorists noticing some changes in the area.
The works are part of a $2.8 million project that will see improvements between Masons Road and Lees Road.
Funded under the TAC’s Safer Systems Road Infrastructure Program (SSRIP), the 8.9km section of road is receiving a number of safety measures including wire rope safety barriers, tactile centreline marking, sign upgrades, drainage works and removal of hazardous roadside vegetation.
VicRoads Eastern Region Manager Operations Henry Lam said the wire rope barriers were an integral part of improving road safety as they provided a raft of benefits.
“There is a misconception that wire rope safety barriers cause more harm than good, but on the contrary, these safety measures have been proven to reduce deaths from run off road type accidents,” Mr Lam said.
“Research conducted by the Monash University Accident Research Centre has shown that flexible barriers are superior compared with concrete or steel barriers because of the way they absorb the energy of the crash away from people in vehicles as well as their deflection levels and the way they contain the vehicle.
“At the end of the day, you are more likely to walk away from a crash with a wire rope safety barrier than any other barrier system.”
Mr Lam said because of the flexible nature of the ropes, a clear zone behind was needed, which sometimes required the removal of vegetation.
“The clear zone is needed for the system to work properly in the event of a crash, but wherever possible, we limit the impact this has on local vegetation and try to balance the needs of the environment with the road user.”
He said motorcyclists sometimes saw the rope barriers as a danger, but reassured this was not the case.
“There are some thoughts among motorcycle riders that wire rope safety barriers have a ‘cheescutter’ effect on riders when they come off their bikes, but this isn’t the case.
“There is no evidence to date anywhere in the world that indicates motorcycle riders travelling at or below the posted speed limit, are cut similar to how cheese is cut by wire when they crash into it.”
Mr Lam said the barriers also helped protect motorcyclists from other vehicles when installed on road centrelines.
“Making our roads safer by improving road infrastructure is a vital part of the TAC’s Towards Zero vision.”
Works on Inverloch-Venus Bay Road are anticipated to be completed by mid-2016.
For more information on wire rope safety barriers, please visit the TAC website www.towardszero.vic.gov.au/making-progress/articles/flexible-barriers-how-they-work-and-the-cheese-cutter-myth